Every summer internship comes to a close, and usually that means a final presentation to everyone invested in the internship program. For us, this meant a free trip down to headquarters in Northern NJ, within an hour’s drive of New York City. All hands on deck for this one, every intern is expected to present on stage. We were divided up into two teams within our site, and present alongside the other teams formed at Product Development sites from San Jose to Los Angeles. It helps to have a vision that everyone can buy into in this case, since ours was almost like a case competition covering a topic that was unrelated to our actual projects this summer.

So after painstaking rehearsals that included more than a little bit of public speaking 101, a well-delivered final presentation, an HR mixer that lasted through the evening, it was only natural to stop in the New York before returning home. After all, we were already in the area…

A tip for those who have never been, after you’ve checked off Times Square and the Statue of Liberty–and do so quickly–it’s time to explore the real New York. The New York that keeps its residents and attracts more by the year despite the crowds, the aging and woefully under-maintained subway system, the sidewalk piles of trash awaiting pickup, and some of the highest cost of living in the country.

It’s the city unlike any other, a global crossroads of finance and media with the sheer scale and density to offer a dazzling variety of, well, anything. There’s always something new to explore, to taste, to see.

Here were a few highlights we enjoyed on this particular trip:

A stunning view of Mid-town from the highest rooftop bar in the city. For a city of skyscrapers, surprisingly most rooftop bars in NYC actually aren’t situated very high up. This one is. (Hyatt Times Square)

While most people navigate New York by subway or taxi, few think to take advantage of the ferries. On a nice day, this under appreciated way of getting around delivers excellent views for visitors

Subway connections between lower Manhattan and the more interesting neighborhoods of Brooklyn are actually not very convenient, requiring at least one connection. Instead, just hop on a ferry and enjoy the panorama of Manhattan slowly pass by on a direct ride to waterside center of the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn. And for a taste of everything NYC has to offer without the aforementioned crowding and trash, definitely check it out.

For a place called Burger and Lobster, there’s not much confusion with the menu, everything’s $20. The burgers, the lobsters…and, that’s about it.